I'm thinking about upgrading from my onboard sound to a good quality sound card. It's either the AC-1 or an X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro. I'm leaning more towards the AC-1 because it's $20 cheaper, but I recently had a bad experience with Razer (got two Lycosa keyboards in a row that had faulty touch-panels).

I'm mainly looking for suggestions from people that own/have used these cards before. Let me know what you think about these cards - good and bad!

Sure it helps me :P
I'm open to all options. I haven't been able to read through reviews for all the cards out there so let me know if there is anything else I should be considering aswell. I'll have a look at the DX.

i now have $740 and though i am itching to spend some mooney i am a bit hesitant on saving em for wen i would wanna upgrade or change my system in the future. Does a good sound card really make that Big a difference!??

My general rule lately is... don't spend money if you don't need to. Unless you have an appropriate setup (I'm not familiar with those speakers, so I can't comment on them), the card might make no real difference to you. If you could get the card for a decent price, and you game a lot (especially with games that use EAX extensions), then it might be worth the cost-of-entry.

My general rule lately is... don't spend money if you don't need to. Unless you have an appropriate setup (I'm not familiar with those speakers, so I can't comment on them), the card might make no real difference to you. If you could get the card for a decent price, and you game a lot (especially with games that use EAX extensions), then it might be worth the cost-of-entry.

Aaaye thaat be truuue. When i first build this system i was like, WOW the sound quality is very good! unless i get to see that sound card in action and be blown away, i'll save for important stuff. thank u!

Well, chances are you wouldn't notice a difference, but it's hard to say. With my headphones for example, I used to be content with generic models found on NewEgg or whatever, and I was worried that when moving up, I wouldn't notice a difference. Well, I was wrong... I heard a huge difference.

For the most part though, where audio cards are concerned, I believe the speakers will play a larger role than the card, but it's really tough to say. As long as you are happy with your sound currently, an X-Fi probably isn't going to change your life.

With my headphones for example, I used to be content with generic models found on NewEgg or whatever, and I was worried that when moving up, I wouldn't notice a difference. Well, I was wrong... I heard a huge difference.

which head sets u be using?!? i started playing games while wearing the $25 A4Tech 7.1 Dolby Surround Head Sets and the experience was totally different than on my 4.1 Speakers. It Felt more like i was Inside the game cause there was no outside sound!! now i am wondering how it would be with those Psyko ones or Razer Barracudas!lol!

Hey u have reviews on the Barracudas and others,niice!, i'll check em out too!